An Post is considering the closure of some of its suburban delivery offices in Cork as part of a major reconfiguration of operations which includes the closure of its large mails centre in Little Island within weeks.

Staff at the Blarney hotel and golf resort were hoping against hope that the hotel would reopen tomorrow following its regular January closure.

An Post has again defended its decision to shut its Cork Mail Centre in Little Island, and has revealed that both Tánaiste, Simon Coveney, and Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin privately asked the company to reconsider the move on the day the closure was announced.

The Government is legally prohibited from saving An Post’s Cork mail centre from closure, Communications Minister Richard Bruton has told the Dáil.